Qingguan Nightmare Shadow

There was a carriage parked outside the front hall, and the driver sat beside him with his eyes closed, not caring that he was in the courtyard of the prefect of Shuzhou. He was leisurely, shaking his legs, probably relying on the fact that he was carrying one of the three prefectures. How dare you be so arrogant.The curtain of the car window was drawn, and there seemed to be someone talking inside, but An Tong just passed by and couldn't hear clearly.

Steward Li was waiting for An Tong outside, and when he saw him coming, he lowered his voice and said, "The inside is Sir He Dunhe, the head of the Supervisory Palace." Thanks to Steward Li's reminder, otherwise An Tong would really not know about the new Supervisor Department name very name very.

Walking in, An Yi usually sat on a very pleasant-looking old man.The face is round, and the loose skin and flesh are piled up on the chin. Except for the word "three", I don't know whether it is because he smiles too much or is born with it. The corners of the eyes are curved. No matter what expression he makes, he seems to be smiling, just like a Maitreya Buddha.This "Maitreya Buddha" still has a string of sandalwood Buddhist beads hanging on his wrist, and his round thumb is holding the beads, matching with his mouth that is turning but not making a sound, maybe he is chanting or simply counting.

Everyone knows that today's emperor Zhao Zhiyong believed in Buddhism, and the ministers of civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty also believed in Buddhism.Doing things according to the emperor's preferences is often a superficial effort, which is easy to change in private, so it's hard to say that the subordinates are not in the category of pretending.

An Tong bowed and said, "Master He."

He Dun laughed and said, "This is Mr. Ansu Rongan?"

"Yes."

He Dun said: "Sure enough, the reputation is well-deserved, the appearance is dignified, and it shows a talent."

"My lord, Mr. He has won the prize."

He Dun didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, he praised the simplicity of An's mansion, the well-managed An Yi in Shuzhou, and the scholarly atmosphere of An's family. A person who is as powerful as a tiger and as powerful as a fox.The politeness was almost over, He Dun still didn't get to the point, but asked: "I heard that Mr. An's health is worrying?"

An Tong said: "my father suffered from the cold a few days ago, and he was busy with his work, and his condition worsened. Now he can't get out of bed. Master He Dun wants to convey the will of the saint. I can only presume. My father will listen to it first, and then tell him Tell me."

He Dun said: "Where is the overreach, Mr. An's talent has already spread to the capital, even if you have the full power to handle this matter, I will report it to the emperor, and the emperor will approve of it."

Mr. He spoke slowly, and he couldn't tell the truth for a long time.An Tong heard from Song Chan that he came to thoroughly investigate the case of illicit salt trafficking, so he asked directly: "I heard that Mr. He came all the way from the capital to investigate a big case?"

He Dun twirled a few more beads: "That's right. Has Mr. An heard about this?"

An Tong said: "Master He is referring to this case, I have never heard of it. Compared with the capital, Shuzhou is a remote place, and the news is poor. If the case has not penetrated into the local area, I am afraid that Master He will not come here in person. My father will not know until the people involved in the case ask him to execute him."

He Dun heard the implication of these words, and said, "Mr. An is so confident, Shuzhou is not involved in the big salt smuggling case?"

An Tong said: "If the case that alarmed the court happened in Shuzhou, my father, as the prefect of Shuzhou, should have known about it earlier than Mr. He."

He Dun said: "Master An has done his duty, it is a matter of course for ordinary cases. However, this time, the private salt dealers are with a group of desperadoes who escaped from prison, not only selling private salt, but also robbing and killing. , these people are silent and hard to detect; however, recently there have been tragedies of robbery and extermination in places such as Chongzhou, Huzhou and even Nanyu Haizhou. After local investigations, the murderer was caught. The sale of private salt was involved. The murderers were all the fugitives I just mentioned, because they did not share the spoils evenly with the private salt dealers, so they did other things. I came to Shuzhou to remind Mr. An to keep his eyes open and not wait until It was only after Baixin was hurt that he realized that the poisonous insect had been hiding for a long time."

An Tong said: "I will tell my father what Master He meant, and my father will definitely investigate strictly."

It may be an illusion, An Tong always felt that He Dun's eyes hidden behind the swollen eye sockets were looking at him, observing him first, and explaining the case later.

At this time, the servant prepared tea and brought it to He Dun. He Dun took a sip and repeatedly praised it as good tea.

Before the servant left, An Tong signaled him to stand by with his eyes, and then said to He Dun: "This is a specialty of Shuzhou. There are many special wines and delicacies of the same grade as this tea in Shuzhou. I will be invited by my next generation's father." Mr. He tastes it, I wonder if Mr. An is interested?"

He Dun said: "Okay. Although there are Shu restaurants in the capital, they certainly don't have the local authentic ones in Shuzhou."

An Tong asked his servants to inform his mother, Mrs. An Cao, that Mr. He would stay in An's house for dinner at noon, and troubled Mrs. An to arrange a banquet.The dishes in Shuzhou are mostly seasoned with spicy food. Although He Dun, a native of the capital, wants to experience it, he may not be used to it. An Tong also asked his servants to prepare some lighter dishes.

After He Dun finished talking about the business, he raised his hand and told An Tong not to stand, but to sit down.

After drinking enough tea, Master He said, "Mr. An is outstanding in every way...it's just a pity."

An Tong didn't follow him to ask further, this kind of tone must be trying to elicit what he wanted to say.

He Dun said: "Since Prime Minister Su Tong Su, the post of prime minister has been vacant. There are voices of discussion in the court, saying that the current emperor may abolish the post of prime minister. Where should Mr. An's talents be displayed?"

This is really difficult to answer, An Tong had no choice but to flatter himself and compliment: "Although many people compare me with Prime Minister Su when I was young, I still have self-knowledge and know that I am not enough to compare with Prime Minister Su. Moreover, I can't talk about government affairs indiscriminately. Master He's words really make me very scared. If you talk about talent, Master He has even higher talents. He is in the head of the Supervisory Office and can also display his ambitions. There are thousands of talents in the world Wanwan, how can my lord not be denied his own value just because he has not ascended to the position of prime minister."

He Dun nodded, raised his head slightly, the character "three" on his chin changed to "two", and the beads were spinning in his hand again.

An Tong sat here talking with him, but he was anxious inside, but he had to be polite on the surface.On the way, he wandered for a while, imagining An Ran's sleeping posture in the study, and thinking about what his younger brother and Song Chan would do if the goldfish jumped out of the bamboo basket... Finally noon came, and the servant came in to invite the two to eat.

As expected, He Dun couldn't eat spicy food, and he only moved his chopsticks a little for dishes dipped in chili. After the whole meal, his stomach was full of white soup and light vegetarian dishes.

After suffering through a meal, An Tong finally waited for the sentence "Excuse me" from Master He.He Dun got into the carriage and saw that he was about to leave, but stopped and said to An Cao who was seeing him off: "How long has Mr. An been ill?"

An Cao replied, "It's been five days."

He Dun called out to the carriage, "Yuan Min."

An old man with a long beard came out of the carriage and said, "Master He."

"Give Mrs. An a copy of your prescription for treating wind and cold."

Yuan Min answered "Yes", opened the curtain and returned to the car, probably writing a prescription.

He Dun turned to Mrs. An Cao: "I have been sick all year round, and I take a doctor with me when I go out. Doctor Yuan has always been my exclusive doctor. I don't know how many times I have prescribed the prescription for wind and cold. This prescription is very effective, so I take it." Let Master An use it."

While talking, Yuan Min opened the prescription, folded it up and handed it to Mrs. An Cao, Mrs. An Cao thanked He Dun, and passed the prescription to Uncle Zhang, asking him to go to the pharmacy to pick up medicine for Anyi.

After seeing off He Dun, An Tong nodded to An Cao and went to his father Anyi's room.

Anyi was lying on the bed with his eyes slightly closed, his lips were chapped overnight, making him look haggard.The servant squatted by the bed and fed him gruel.

After An Yi finished his porridge, An Tong called "Father".

An Yi opened his eyes and said, "Master He is gone?"

"Just left."

"What did he say?"

An Tong told Anyi about the sale of private salt, basically what He Dun said.

A surprised expression slowly appeared on Anyi's face: "For such a big matter, the emperor sent the head of the Supervisory Mansion to investigate in person, but we in Shuzhou didn't get any news?"

An Tong said: "Master He emphasized that he is here to let Shuzhou take precautions. If Shuzhou is involved in this case, we must find out the private salt dealers and fugitives before worse consequences happen."

Anyi coughed a few times: "I see. I will hand over the investigation to the monitoring station in Shuzhou, so you don't have to worry about it."

The servant brought in the medicine again, An Yi waved his hand, telling An Tong to leave him alone and go out.

Before the palace examination, An Tong couldn't go anywhere, except for eating and sleeping, he could only go to the only place allowed by Master An: the study.

He thought that An Ran must be very anxious when he woke up and found that he was not there. After entering the door, he said "Aran", but he didn't wait for his younger brother's fleshy embrace, and there was no voice of agreement.The study room was deserted because of the little guy's absence.

Song Chan was too inconspicuous, she stood by the door, An Tong looked around and found that the study was not empty.

"Song Chan? Where's Ah Ran?"

Song Chan said: "I asked my servant to take him to the market."

An Tong heard that Song Chan was intentionally dismissing An Ran, and asked in confusion, "Did something happen?"

"It's okay, I just want to say a few words to you."

"Go ahead."

"A Tong, you are very gentle to others, but you are always lukewarm to me."

"Isn't lukewarm just 'moderate'?"

Song Chan said anxiously, "You know that's not what I meant."

An Tong didn't care about how he treated other people, but he just said and acted as appropriate. He didn't quite understand how Song Chan saw that he was "gentle" towards others.It's just that it's true that An Tong treats her indifferently.

Song Chan is the eldest daughter of Song Yan, the head of the Shuzhou Supervisory Station. The An and Song families have always been friends. When An Tong was 16 years old, Song Yan took the initiative to ask a matchmaker to propose marriage to Anyi, and wanted to marry his daughter of the same age to An Tong.Before An Tong knew it, Anyi had already agreed and sent the bride price directly to the Song Mansion.

An Tong has never disobeyed An Yi, except for this marriage, which he resolutely refuses to follow.He stood in front of Anyi's bedroom for three days, and even knelt for another three days. An Yi ordered someone to drag him away, saying that the wedding would be held if you figured it out. Anyway, I already regarded Song Chan as a member of the An family. She came to live here to see if you dare not admit it. If you continue to make trouble, it will only tarnish the innocence of your daughter's family and the reputation of An's family.

An Tong stopped making trouble, but in the past eight years, he did not expressly accept or accept his father's arrangement.An Yi retracted the sentence "If you figure it out, then hold the wedding", and changed it to "After next spring, the wedding will be held."

An Tong couldn't face Song Chan squarely, he respected Song Chan blindly, and if he respected Song Chan too much, he would naturally become more and more alienated.

Song Chan said: "A Tong, what do you think of me?"

She has always been obedient and weak, An Tong often reflects on whether her behavior is really bad, and speaks politely and carefully to her.But today, Song Chan's question aroused his temper for no reason, and he subconsciously said: "I think, if you hadn't threatened suicide at the beginning and asked Mr. Song Yan to promise you to me, you are now the child's mother." , will live a happy life in another mansion."

Song Chan choked up and said, "A Tong, you never hurt anyone with your words!"

An Tong's heart sank, and he said again: "Song Chan, don't you also want me to learn from Su Tong?"

Song Chan was stunned for a moment, and immediately realized that the teardrops circling in her eyes rolled down instantly.

Su Tong never married.

An Tong's arm was pinched by Song Chan's hand, winter clothes were not as thin as summer clothes, but even so, Song Chan's strength as a delicate woman squeezed An Tong painfully through the clothes.An Tong was pinched by her, faintly regretting that she had said too much.

pat.

When Song Chan loosened her hand, both of them were startled.

The goldfish in the bamboo basket jumped out.

An Tong thought that the time was well chosen, gently pushed Song Chan away, and picked up the little goldfish struggling on the floor into the bamboo basket.The goldfish flicked its tail, and water flew across his face.Song Chan wiped him with a handkerchief, but the little goldfish wagged its tail beautifully again, splashing both of them wet.

An Tong said: "Go back and change your clothes."

The tears on Song Chan's face mixed with the water for raising the goldfish, which made her originally beautiful face ugly.She stared at the goldfish and opened her mouth, hesitated to speak.

An Tong said: "This fish is very fierce, I'm afraid it will bite you soon. Go back and change your clothes, it will be bad if your mother sees it." After finishing speaking, he opened the door for Song Chan.

Song Chan pursed her lips, stuffed the handkerchief to him, and clenched her hands under her sleeves into fists as she walked away.

An Tong turned his head and said to Jinyu: "See if I don't put a lid on this bamboo basket!"

There seemed to be a cold light in the goldfish's eyes.

An Tong smiled and said, "If you are good, I won't cover you."

The goldfish immediately seemed to fall asleep, and stayed where it was; An Tong felt more and more that this fish was rare and a freak, so he couldn't help scratching its belly with his fingers.The goldfish turned around and just took a bite, holding his finger tightly.An Tong has plenty of ways to cure it, and immediately lifts it out of the water in its "willing to take the bait" posture, letting it hang as it likes.

After being out of the water for too long, the goldfish couldn't bear it, so they fell back consciously.

An Tong supported the bamboo basket, and suddenly said: "A Li."

The goldfish wagged its tail.

An Tong saw that it liked the name An Ran gave him, and thought of its spirituality, so he simply decided to call it that from now on.He has thoroughly read the books in the study in his previous life, and staying here for a long time is really boring, and having such a weird fish can add a bit of fun.

"Mrs. An, Xiao Fu is here!"

The voice of a servant calling the door.

This rare thing also loves to be in pairs.Xiao Fu actually came to Anfu.

After the examination results were announced, Anyi held a banquet to celebrate An Tong, and invited the main and deputy officials of Santai Shuzhou and their families.Although Xiao Fu and Anyi were good friends, they knew that due to their own qualifications, they could not attend the banquet and could not congratulate them at the banquet, so they carried a basket of fish as a thank you gift to Anfu in person.An Yi was drinking to his heart's content, when he heard that Xiao Fu was coming to see him, he thought he was blaming him for not inviting him, so he was mixed in by others, staggered to the outside of the mansion, took advantage of the wine and scolded Xiao Fu Futong.

Xiao Fu couldn't figure it out, and finally heard that Mr. An said that he is a man who sells fish, what qualifications do he have to come to An's mansion, and that his son Xiao Xin failed to pass the exam for 100 years, and he was so angry. Itching, put the fish frame on Anyi's head, clapped his hands and left angrily.

The adults attending the banquet heard the movement and sent their servants to check it out. The servants hesitated one by one, saying that Mr. An was smashed by a fish.

Anyi lost face and never interacted with Xiao Fu again.One sobered up, the other calmed down, even though they knew they were guilty, they were unwilling to be the first to apologize, and the two of them were so stiff, both openly and secretly.

After being frozen for a long time, Xiao Fu still came.

Listen to Xiao Fulang's voice: "Housekeeper Li, I brought a basket of crucian carp to your master. The crucian carp is good! Cook the crucian carp soup to nourish his health, cook a few meals for Anyi quickly, and make sure he recovers!"

Anyi is not a narrow-minded person, since Xiao Fu took the initiative to break the ice, he will not care about the past.Butler Li also knew about this level, so he hurriedly took over the solid crucian carp and said respectfully, "Thank you, Mr. Xiao!"

Mrs. An Cao also came out: "Mr. Xiao, follow me to see the master."

"No, no, I don't think he can speak. I'll come back when he recovers and his tongue straightens!"

Song Chan's voice: "Uncle Xiao, is Aran with you?"

Xiao Fu said: "Here he is, Miss Song, don't worry, Xiao Xin will take him with him, he won't be sold out hahaha."

Song Chan asked: "Hasn't Xiao Xin gone to teach in a private school today?"

"Nothing."

"Then I'll pick up Aran later."

"Let Aran eat with us. I remember that Aran said that he wanted to eat grilled fish. Today I asked Xiao Xin to give him grilled fish."

An Cao who was next to him should have nodded, Song Chan said, "Okay, please trouble Uncle Xiao."

"No trouble, no trouble."

"..."

An Tong propped his head up, listening to the gossip outside, felt that the time was peaceful, and couldn't help but thank Su Tong in his previous life, thank him for having suffered a lot for him, so that he can be safe and smooth in this life, and his heart is pure.Now he wants to be the eldest son of the An family, remember what should be remembered, forget what should be forgotten, and be at peace with the situation.

The bamboo grove outside the study is secluded, the breeze is blowing, and the mind is relaxed and happy.